A Universe Apart (Title TBD)
by thatguyisaight
Summary: A man buys an experimental VR set and is transported into the game. something resembling a plot ensues. read up.
1. Chapter 1

A New Beginning

 **Hey, ThatGuy here. Just wanted to let you all know a lil' bit about this story. I've Recently started writing an actual book, and recently finished Mass Effect: Andromeda. I Thought it would be a fun exercise in perspective, so I'm going to basically be self-inserting myself into the Start of the game. It'll be interesting to expand characters and see how I would react in the situations provided in-game. There will also be a romance arc, because what good is writing myself into mass effect without getting to bang an alien, no actual lemons though. (Actually, it's because I am terrible at writing romantic arcs in the many projects I've typed and deleted, so it'll be good practice.) TL;DR: I'm practicing writing with this, and thought I'd post here to share with y'all. (I don't own ME:A or any characters therein. Changing my name and some minor details so none of you can track me down and stab me with a soldering iron.) enjoy!**

There it was, sitting right on the front step, the package. I'd been waiting for this thing to come in for weeks, and just in time too. I had set Mass Effect: Andromeda to start downloading that morning while I was at work. Had to be done by now. I Turned off the truck and lit a cigarette as I followed the short concrete path up to my front door, sitting down in the lone wooden chair I had set up next to the door. I exhaled a cloud of smoke and examined the package from where it sat next to me.

 _Odd. No return address, and the markings seem to be all in pencil. Fuck._

I may have just gotten scammed, maybe. "that's what I get for buying shady stuff off the internet." I grunted to myself, grounding the cigarette into my ashtray and hefting the box under my arm. "heavier than I thought." I shrugged and unlocked the door, heading straight upstairs to my place of peace and Zen: my computer room. I placed the box on my gaming chair and grabbed the knife on my belt, carefully cutting through the thick box tape covering the box.

Inside was what looked like a modified VR headset, kind of like an HTC, but with a definite aftermarket flair. Wires ran in a surprisingly thick bundle from the actual jack to the helmet, only splitting apart into a spider web of wiring at the latter. I pulled it out, carefully inspecting the monstrosity I had just purchased. _Jesus Christ, if I play anything with a jump scare I'll get whiplash for sure, playing with this thing._ Underneath the helmet were a set of what looked like ordinary gardening gloves, but with the same bundles of wires connecting to every joint and fingertip. Underneath all of that was a single CD and a neatly typed instruction manual.

I picked it up and flipped through the pages, most of which were double checking wire connections and the actual install of the hardware. I almost dozed off just flipping through it, stopping when I got to the last page.

 _HOW TO PLAY:_

 _INSERT DISC AND INSTALL._

 _START UP ._

 _DRAG AND DROP GAME FILE INTO ENGINE._

 _ENJOY._

"At least the startup will be easier than the install." I mumbled as I flipped back to the instruction cover. it showed a much cleaner version of the headset I had covering my desk, and in bold letters stated: TRANSFERTECH: A NEW WAY TO PLAY. I Had found it deep in the dregs of Amazon while looking for PC parts, and after ordering, I couldn't seem to find It listed again. Still, the ad promised, and I quote:

 _A technological breakthrough in gaming. Our state-of-the-art coding will bring your favorite games to your very fingertips. Be able to hear and feel as though you were actually there. We promise that you'll be satisfied with our product, or your money back, guaranteed. Because here at TRANSFERTECH, we know gaming isn't just a hobby; it's a lifestyle._

Who knows, maybe I lucked out, or maybe I got scammed. Either way it fills my evening up just setting the damn thing up. Before I plugged everything in, I copied what was on my computer into an external Hard drive, just in case all this wiring fried the thing to hell. With a sigh I tossed the instructions into the box on my chair and got to work.

I stood up and wiped the sweat from my head, finally done with all the plugging and re-plugging. I looked down at my handiwork, noticing the underside of my desk looked like someone unloaded a can of silly string everywhere. I hung the Helmet and gloves on the back of my chair and tossed the box in a corner, not caring much about it at the moment. I need to piss. I headed to the bathroom and took care of the deed, washing my hands and splashing some water on my face to help cool myself off. I gave myself a good hard look as I wiped my face with the hand towel on the counter.

I rubbed my hand over my freshy shaved head from this morning and scratched at the 4" long beard my friends have jokingly called 'the dirty lumberjack'. I took a deep breath and stepped back. I was about 5'11" and closer to in shape than not, but It was obvious that I have drank my fair share of beer in the past. I sighed and went out for a smoke before starting up the monstrosity I had connected earlier.

After I got back upstairs I took the disk out and tossed it in my PC's tray, closing it with an electronic whirr. The computer was obviously straining to download and run the program, but I was still surprised at how fast It went. "less than 10 minutes, nice". I took a swig of beer I had grabbed from downstairs and started on the first step: booting up . What popped up on my screen was a simple black box, stating to cut/paste a game's original files. Easy enough. I did what it said and dragged Mass Effect andromeda into the square, then hit enter. Nothing happened for a second, before the screen went black suddenly. "fuck. This isn't good." I swore as I began to reach for the power button on the tower. I stopped when large green letters appeared on the screen.

REWRITE COMPLETE.

…

…

STARTING PROGRAM IN 1:00

…

…

EQUIP TRANSFER GEAR.

…

…

THE FUTURE OF GAMING AWAITS. GOOD LUCK. 

I shrugged and started with the gloves. It surprised me that what looked like cheap gloves were filled with what felt like silicone gel. As my fingers pressed into the tips of the gloves, the excess on the wrist tightened, scaring me for a second. It didn't hurt, but it was definitely secure. I shrugged and grabbed the helmet as the timer on the screen hit 15 seconds. As I put the helmet on, I realized it was also displaying on the internal screen. I took a deep breath as the inside of the helmet tightened around me. I could still breathe, but it was a strange feeling nonetheless. Exhale.

5

…

4

…

I took in one more deep breath.

3

…

2

…

1

I Gasped for air as I leaned up, shivering as the mist around me began to dissipate. I coughed a few times, spitting out a half-frozen concoction of chemicals and phlegm. My eyes began to focus as my breathing slowly regained normalcy. _Where am I? Did something go wrong?_ I raised my arms to rub my eyes for a moment, disconnecting a bunch of sensors suction cupped to my arms. My head was spinning, and my stomach wanted to evacuate everything it had eaten in, well, forever. I turned and looked around, there were person sized boxes of some sort all over the circular room, and the air was chilly to say the least. A large circular arm slid past me, one of the boxes clenched in its claw as I was moved down to the end of the hall. That's when I saw it, sprawled in large, black, stylized letters were two words that both scared and excited me to no end. Hyperion Cryogenics. _It Worked._


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

I finally got my breathing under control and tried to stand up, my increasingly spinning head forcing me back into a sitting position. Two identically uniformed individuals stepped towards me, a man and a woman. "deep breaths, you're gonna want to take it easy. " the man said, holding his hands out to keep me sitting down. I had seen my buddy play the first level and smirked through the response.

"I've been taking it easy for 600 years" I chuckled out a little bit and coughed up a bit more of the cryo chemicals still stuck in my lungs. The woman stayed back, typing into what seemed like a data pad. "Scott Ryder, recon specialist, pathfinder team. So you're the ones finding us a home?" I nodded, the man chuckling as he helped me to my feet. "can you try to make it somewhere tropical? Summer year round?" The woman got my free arm over her shoulder and chided her coworker. "let's just get him a cup of coffee first."

 _Weird, I could've sworn they switched their lines._ I shrugged as they brought me into the Hyperion's med-bay, handing me a cup of freshly brewed, albeit 600-year-old coffee. I took a sip, eyes widening at the fact I could taste the drink, feel it running down my throat, warming my insides. _This helmet is amazing! I would've paid soooooo much more if I found out it did all this._ I took another sip of coffee before being derailed from my train of thought by an asari doctor walking towards me. I raised an eyebrow to the strange outfit she was wearing, at least according to my normal surroundings. She placed a data pad down next to me and pulled her right arm up, a half-translucent orange screen popping up.

"Scott Ryder? Let's get you checked out." She tapped a button and a laser seemed to sweep up and down my body, and the display at the far end of the room started up with a morale boosting message about Andromeda, basically, spewing exposition. The scan stopped and the asari picked up her data pad, entering in her findings after visually inspecting my eyes and face. Without even looking up, she spoke, making me jump for a second. "makes it sound so easy, doesn't it?"

I looked up at her for a second, not sure what she meant. She cocked an eyebrow and nodded towards the large display at the end of the hall. "the motivational speech over there, talking about world scanning and bold new adventures." I nodded and took another sip of coffee, finishing the mug. " yeah, but since when has being a pioneer been easy?" She chuckled and continued the examination. "I guess there's a bit more fun involved when you're on the pathfinder team. Look here." She moved her fingers back and forth in front of her, my eyes following them. "that reminds me Scott, pathfinder put the word out. Wants you all mission ready within the hour. No word as to why, but I think somethings happened."

I stretched and nodded my confirmation, feeling muscles stretch for the first time in what felt like 600 hundred years. She clicked her data pad again. "you seem to check out, let's just check your SAM Implant. SAM?" As she said this I felt a prickling in the back of my neck as a translucent blue hologram appeared behind me. "good morning doctor T'Perro, good morning Scott. How are you feeling?" I turned back slightly, eyeing the blue orb. "I'm... wow, this is amazing. I'm stiff but ready to go."

"your neural implant seems to be working, I'm getting normal readings."

Dr. T'Perro stepped towards me and helped me on my feet, motioning me towards a corner of the room. "all right, you're all good, but you might want to wait and watch your sister waking up, it's helpful to see a friendly face when first waking up. We're popping her doors no-" she was cut off by a large groan coming from the walls themselves. Before I could say anything, the lights flickered and the whole room suddenly shook. The sound of scraping could be heard echoing through the hull, suddenly the floor seemed to tilt down, and a cryo pod started scraping towards us, lifting off the ground and spinning away as the gravity cut out. A voiced echoed over the intercom and the door opened. A woman with white hair combed to the side floated in, grabbing a console.

"hold on everyone, brace for a reset." She typed something into the console and suddenly I hit the floor. "ouch?" I said out loud, more confused than anything. _Why did that hurt? I'm only wearing gloves and a helmet._ I was brought back to reality by the woman who turned the gravity on, suddenly my mind recalled her name. "hey Cora, thanks for the opposite of a lift." I chuckled as I got up, brushing myself off and helping the doctor to her feet. Cora smiled at us both for a second, before going back to a stern look. "Glad to see you up Scott, we've gotta move, our timeframe was sped up, geared up n' ready to go in 20 mikes." I nodded when I heard a voice behind us.

"uhhh... We've got a problem over here." I turned to see a technician standing over a sparking cryo pod covered in signs of damage, but still functioning. Then I recognized the pod, apparently my sister was in there. Memories began flooding my mind of stuff that I can guarantee weren't in the game. Fuzzy memories of growing up, waving to each other before getting into the pods. _Must be cut content from the coding. But why am I feeling scared for her then?_ I ran over to the pod, followed by Cora and Dr. T'perro, who immediately ran a scan on the pod.

"doctor? What's going on?" I asked, startled by the level of worry in my voice. She looked at me with a hard to read face. "your sister is fine, vitals are strong. The pod was just damaged so it'll take a bit more... coaxing to get her to wake up. We'll have to put her in a mild coma and wait for her to wake up on her own. She'll be fine Scott." With hesitation I nodded as Cora nudged my shoulder.

"we have to get suited up, come on." I nodded and followed her to what seemed like locker room, Cora leading me to the locker emblazoned with a small sign. S. RYDER. "The Pathfinder wants to brief us in the hangar bay, get suited up in your environmental suit. He also put out to carry sidearms, so grab one of the Predator Handguns in the locker on your way out." She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. "Sara's going to be fine, she's one tough girl." I returned the smile and opened the locker as she walked off, not recognizing a single piece of gear in there. _Fuck._

 **Hey, ThatGuy here. Thanks for reading this far. Look forward to any and all comments or critisizms. I don't know why, but I've really enjoyed writing this so far. Yknow, besides the slog of watching the opening cinematics 30 times to get the lines right. And even then, I mixed them up and changed them slightly to show that's it's not just the same game anymore. Next chapter will actually involve some action, and maybe getting to the nexus, though I probably won't fit it all in. Anyways hope you enjoyed, and as always feel free to review or PM me with any questions,comments or concerns. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

I stood in front of my locker for a little longer than I should have, before shrugging and reaching for what seemed like the chest piece. What I can only describe as muscle memory took over, and my hands seemed to have a mind of its own as it strapped and locked everything into place. I pulled up my omni-tool and synced it up, starting up the kinetic barrier. "cool, shields." I muttered as I walked towards the door, my helmet under my right arm. To the left of the door was a locker, open and displaying a large stockpile of rifles and handguns. To my dismay, the rifles were still locked under an arm bar, and so I begrudgingly took an M3 Predator from the rack. Signs illuminated the way to the Hyperion's Tram line, and once I punched in my destination, I decided to inspect my handgun.

I sat down in one of the soft rubber chairs, placing my Initiative standard issue helmet beside me, holding the handgun with my left hand. I twisted It around, looking at the incredible detail of the piece. The weight felt almost familiar, as did the grip through my suit. My trigger finger felt a small button, and as I pressed t lightly, the heat sink began to protrude from the side. _Interesting._ The momentum of the tram subsided and an electronic voice chimed through the speaker.

"Now arriving at Hanger bay one." I stood up, holstering the Predator to the magnetic leg plate, eyeing it for a second as it automatically folded in on itself, compacting to a smaller carrying size. I hovered my hand nearby it, causing it to unfold again to its true size. Interesting mechanics to say the least. I grabbed my helmet and once again tucked it under my arm as my feet stepped into the hangar. Wind was sucked past me as the tram flew once more down its tracks, en route to pick up more crewmembers.

A single shuttle was spun up and hovering in the center of the bay, with Cora and another two men standing near the sliding door. Cora waved me over as I started to approach, and I waved back, quickly closing the gap with a jog. Before I had a chance to say anything, a man with grey hair and a matching beard stepped out of the Shuttle and placed a hand on my shoulder. At his touch memories began to flow into the forefront of my mind, but for some reason there were a lot less than with Sara.

"I heard what happened. Sara is strong, she'll make it." The pathfinder – my dad - spoke. "I nodded as he turned to address the rest of the group. "Alright team, button up. We leave in five." As he said this, Cora took a step forward, her hands behind her back.

"sir, we've broken out the handguns, as per your request. Anything we should know about that?" He raised an eyebrow at her for a second, before his face turned to a sterner look. "that's what briefings are for, Cora. Back in line." Cora's cheeks turned a bit red and she took a step back, waiting for orders.

"alright team, listen up. I chose you for the pathfinder team not just because you're talented and passionate. But because your dreamers, like me. We dream of exploring the unknown. Finding the edge of the map – and then discovering what lies beyond. When people look back on this – and they will – they'll remember that we didn't give up, that we kept dreaming. That our first faltering steps in andromeda would be the beginning of everything they know. But that won't happen unless we take those steps." He took a deep breath in and out before beginning, reading his teams faces. "A few minutes ago, the Hyperion struck what appears to be a large cloud of dark matter, damaging life support and the reactor core. Habitat 7 is showing signs of a large storm that doesn't appear natural, covering most of the northern hemisphere. Our job is to land on the planet and find a safe harbor for the Hyperion, if – god forbid – she has to be grounded. I'm counting on you all. Mount up."

The team dispersed as a second shuttle landed behind them, some climbing into both. As I turned to enter the newest shuttle, the Pathfinder called my name. " Scott, don't worry about Sara, I need you sharp. Follow my lead and we'll be planting a garden down there within a month." I nodded, turning to leave. "and Scott? Mom would have been proud to see you here. Let's make sure not to let her down."

"aye aye, pathfinder" was all I could think to say as more memories of the pathfinders' wife, my mom, started to flood into my head. The lump in my throat was growing as the shuttle door closed behind me. The floor shook for a second as power was routed to the thrusters, taking both shuttles out of the bay. My eyes widened as I looked through the viewport. What looked like black vines snaked through the empty space around the planet, lighting up in red and blue at random intervals. The man standing next to me spoke up.

"There's no way we didn't see this before we left. What do you think it is?" He turned and asked me through his british accent. I shrugged and looked at him, donning my helmet. "whatever it is, it doesn't look good." The Hyperion looked as if it was in the grips of a shadowy colossus, slowly fading from view as we raced through the maze of dark tendrils. The shuttle shook as it exited the mass, and soon got up to cruising speed. "Ryder, we didn't get a chance to meet back in the milky way. Names Liam Kosta, security and response specialist. You were alliance military, right?" I thought about it, the fuzzy memories clearing up to see flashes of military service around a mass relay. "I guess I was" I mumbled, trying to clear up more memories.

"that cryo pod fry your memory or something?" Liam chuckled as we approached habitat 7. my eyes widened and I felt a tingle of fear climb up my spine as I saw the planet's surface. A massive black swirling storm was engulfing almost half of the planet, and we could see the lighting even from here. "Jesus, we're trying to land in that?" I asked incredulously, being answered only by the shaking of the shuttle as we began to enter the atmosphere. As we finished our burn out through the stratosphere, we were greeted by massive, engorged black clouds. We could barely see the other shuttle through the haze.

Cora's voiced trickled through the speakers in my helmet, static overwhelming it momentarily with every flash of lightning. "shuttle two, SAM says the oxygen levels aren't safe for us, keep your helmets on at all times once we land and stay on course." I keyed my COMM link in affirmation and heard Liam Hot-mic a response. "Is this the right planet? I thought we had this all figured out!"

I shook my head as the pathfinder called out over the frequency. "keep it tight shuttle two." I was about to key my mic again to affirm, but Liam broke the command almost immediately. " Look! Port side! Is that a building?"

"has to be advanced engineering, Alec is updating the Hyperion as we speak." Cora replied as we flew towards the designated landing zone. Liam Hot-mic'd again and I put my hand over my visor, half annoyed and half incredulous. "what if they aren't friendly?"

The pathfinder started to respond when static filled the speakers. A bright flash arced across the viewport and sparks exploded out of the various displays. The ship started spinning towards the ground as I the pilot called out. "mayday! Mayday! Shuttle isn't responsive, lightning knocked out controls! Trying to regain po-"

He was cut off by the shuttle tearing in half. Liam started falling out of the hole and I grabbed his arm instinctively, his hand gripping mine back. "hold on Liam!" I called seconds before the wind tore him away from my hand, pulling me out of the shuttle as well. SAM spoke to me in his calm, calculated voice as I plummeted through the void, not even seeing the ground yet.

"Scott, an EMP seems to have destroyed the shuttle, knocking out your jump-jet as well. I will try to repair it." Wind buffeted my whole body as I was thrown through the sky like a ragdoll. Suddenly the side of a mountain appeared through the cloud cover, heading my way fast. "SAM!?" I yelled as the ground rapidly approached, only stopped by a large burst of thrust from my back. I hit the ground hard, but nowhere near the lethal speed I was at seconds before.

As I rolled to a stop, my facemask was dashed against a jutting rock, cracking the visor. My face burned as the toxic air leaked into my mask, and my omni-tool pinged as I slid to a stop. I pulled my arm up to see what it was, and it automatically started spraying sealant on the crack as it entered range. I took a gulp of half toxic air and started coughing. _It BURNED! What the hell is going on? Maybe the programming is still just simulating pain..._

I stood up slowly, much to the dismay of my battered joints. Looking down, I saw the pistol had miraculously stayed attached during all of that. I tried the radio in my helmet. "Dad? Cora? Liam? Anyone copy?" Static was my only answer for a second, broken up by a popping noise whenever lightning struck nearby. I jumped for a second as my HUD flickered to life. Static filled my vision for a second before turning into a shield and vitals monitor, compass and proximity IFF scanner. The scanner showed a blue dot moving behind me.

I turned and pulled my Predator simultaneously, pointing it at a very shocked Liam. "Woah! Ryder, it's me." I lowered my hand gun and took a deep breath of filtered air. "that was insane. Think anyone else made it?"

Liam shrugged. "Well I saw our shuttle crash a little past the ridge. And the original LZ should only be a few kilometers away." I nodded, noticing the LZ marker on my compass. I holstered my pistol and motioned towards the LZ. "lead the way."

My mouth dropped as we reached the top of the ridge, and I was almost frozen in place from the sight. Between the mountains we could see a giant blue light shooting into the sky. Shooting into the center of the storm. "what do you think that is?" Liam said incredulously. I regained my head enough to respond.

"I don't know, but I bet we'll find out."

The wind changed direction and a plume of smoke obscured our vision. I followed the cloud to its source to see the smoking wreckage of our shuttle. Liam saw the crash too, and noticed our pilot crawling out of it. "it's Fisher!" He shouted as he started running towards the crash. Two aliens turned the corner before I could stop him and raised their firearms to meet Liam. I pulled and fired at one of them, throwing its aim off and tearing a large chunk of bone from its shoulder. It still managed to pull the trigger though.

Liam dropped to the ground as the two hostile aliens grabbed cover. "fuck! Liam?!" I yelled as I jumped behind a boulder next to me, pistol at the ready. No response. _Army training man, secure before assist._ I thought to myself as I peeked around the corner. It seemed the two aliens weren't exactly sure where I was, as one of them was hiding in plain view of me behind a rock. I could barely see the other one behind a warped chunk of the shuttle. Moving slowly, I aimed the predator at the unluckier one and pulled the trigger, dropping him as the round tore through the back of its neck. Green blood sprayed from the wound and it slumped to the ground with a bubbling yell. The other creature popped out of cover and opened fire on me, spraying chunks of molten rock as I ducked back into safety. The aliens rifle continually fired bursts at my cover, and I could hear the sound getting louder. He was advancing on me while using suppressive fire. My mind was racing as fear crept its way up my spine.

 _SHIT! he's got the advantage. What the fuck do it do? Maybe use the jump jet to try and get a surprise advantage? Throw a rock? Fuck he's getting close. I'm dying on the first level! Jump jet, let's do this in 3...2...1-_

My thoughts were broken up by a distinctly different firearm report. I cautioned a look out to see the alien falling backwards, green blood oozing from a dozen different holes in its boney chest, and Liam laying on his side with a Charger submachinegun. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and stood up. "Jesus Liam! I thought you we're dead! Why didn't you respond to me?" He shrugged as I held out my hand to help him up. 

"wanted to give the bastard a surprise, if I said something it would give it away."

I punched him in the arm. "they aren't hooked into our COMMs jackass. Where did they get you?" Liam looked himself over for quickly, stopping when he saw his shoulder plate. "Hey Ryder, looks like you saved my life. Kinetic Barriers don't stop these shots." I turned to see a deep score in his shoulder plate, still glowing red from the energy of the projectile. A cough got my attention and I turned to see the pilot leaning against the hull of the shuttle. "shit, Fischer!"

Liam got to him first, pulling out his omni-tool and doing a quick scan. "Legs broken, he's not going anywhere soon. What should we do?" I stopped and thought for a second before Fischer interrupted me.

"Kirkland and Greer went looking for help, go meet up with them and find us a ride out of here. Ill be fine. Just leave me something to protect myself." I nodded and handed him my pistol.

"alright man, give us a call if anything happens okay?" I half ordered. Fischer nodded and Liam helped him hide inside of the wreckage. I took a second to do a quick scan of the aliens. The omni-tool couldn't make heads or tails of it, but stored the data for when we reconnected to SAM. I knelt down to take a good look at them.

Ashy grey skin. bone protrusions covering the body. No mask or re-breather. _These are some hardy looking bastards eh?_ I examined its arm and noticed it still had its rifle clutched in hand. I picked up the smooth OD green machine and studied it. _Might be alien, but its still got a stock, trigger and barrel. Good enough for me._ I noticed a button and pressed it, ejecting what looked like some sort of battery or heat sink. I picked up the discarded one and searched the two corpses for matching pieces, ending up with a small stockpile of what I assumed was ammo. I took one and reloaded the alien rifle.

"Test fire!" I shouted and aimed at the cliff face. Three bolts of energy spewed from the gun, impacting the rock and leaving three dents of dripping slag in its wake. Liam walked up and patted me on the shoulder. "No wonder kinetic barriers don't do anything. They're designed to stop actual projectiles, not plasma or energy. C'mon Ryder, let's go look for the others." I nodded and followed Liam, more cautious than ever.

Liam and I stopped when or radios flared up through the static. Lots of clicking and what sounded like a voice. Liam brought his Omni-tool up to try to clear out the static. "Hello! Hello! This is Liam of the pathfinder team! Do you copy?"

Static answered him for a moment before we heard a break.

"...Don't shoot!...-on't shoo-…..We Surren-" Liam looked at me with fear in his eyes.

"That sounded like kirkland! C'mon Ryder!" We both started moving full speed, coming to a large clearing full of rocks and strange black objects. More of those aliens were there and what looked like a human in initiative armor. The man raised his hands as one of the aliens approached him, rifle raised. The radios came alive again, clearer than last time.

"don't shoot, we don't want to hurt you! We're friendly! We're Frien-" The alien fired straight into Kirkland's face, his body going limp and dropping to the ground in a heap. Liam snapped, using his jump jet to propell himself forward, firing at the alien who killed Kirkland. I followed, swearing under my breath as rounds started flying around us, the energy causing the radio to blast static if one got too close. Liam's Charger tore apart his target, sending the alien stumbling backwards, leaving a trail of thick green blood and chunks of bone. I hit the nearest cover I could find – one of the strange black objects - and saw Liam duck down behind a rock a few meters away. Most of the fire was being aimed at Liam, and I took the opportunity to peek from my cover.

Three of the aliens had set up behind what appeared to be metal crates, and were openly firing upon Liam's hiding spot. I line u a shot and squeezed the trigger, sending a burst of energy bolts towards the closest alien. The bolts impacted, burning through the boney chestpiece and rupturing organs. The creature slumped down, dead. One of the aliens spotted me and yelled in its native tounge, both of them taking cover. I took the chance and told Liam to advance, combat gliding to another position. I saw dust kick up from a few feet in front of Liam but didn't hear a gunshot. The shimmer gave it away. I swung my rifle to bear and sent three shots towards the dust.

An animalistic screech answered my shots as a what looked like a cross between a lizard an dog slumped over, blood oozing from its side. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Liam shouted, jumping back as the beast appeared. We didn't have much time to think about it, as the two aliens in cover had decided to start shooting again. Liam and I both ended up behind the same Metallic Wall. "shit! They have us pinned!" Liam managed to yell in between breaths. "what the fuck was that thing anyways? How did you even see it?"

I raised my rifle and fired blindly over the wall to keep the aliens from advancing, letting the rifle run dry, then reloaded. "saw a cloud of dust and a shimmer, thought it might be some sort of invisible baddie. Don't worry about it now. We gotta take these assholes out. They got us pinned down. We need to end this now. Any ideas?"

Liam thought for a second before shaking his head. Then it hit me. "hey Liam, how about we Jump jet up and get some height advantage?"

"sounds good Ryder."

"alright, Lets do it in 3. 2. 1." I counted down with my fingers before we both jettisoned up, picking our targets as quickly as we could and letting rounds rip through the air. Liam scored a few chest shots, staggering the alien before he landed and finished the job. My target's head exploded in a cloud of green mist. I botched the landing and fell, pulling myself up as Liam checked to make sure they were all dead.

I walked over to Kirkland's corpse, then turned around, almost vomiting in my helmet. The round had gone straight through his helmet through-and-through. His face couldn't be seen through the pool of blood that had filled his helmet, pooling on the ground around him. Liam walked over to me, putting a hand on my back. "fucking monsters. We'll get them a- wait a minute. Ryder, that clicking over the COMMs. That's an S.O.S."

I leaned back up, composing myself. "know where the signal is?" Liam typed into his Omni-tool for a minute before pointing to a cave farther down the clearing. "right there, lets go." I nodded and we made for the entrance.

 **Seems I'll be going way more in-depth in every mission than I originally thought, considering I was planning on this chapter ending at the nexus, or at least on the way to it. Ehh, but what are ya gunna do? Should make it to the Nexus next chapter or the one after that. We'll see. Its also come to my attention that I may need an editor for this after looking at the amount of sleep I've been getting (night terrors suck) and the length that chapters are seeming to get to. If you want to, lemme know in Pms or something. And as always leave any questions, comments, or concerns in PMs or reviews. I don't own anything about this story except OC's I guess. I'm tired so I'm going to bed. ThatGuy out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, ThatGuy here. Just wanted to make something clear from last chapter. I'm treating weapons as actual weapons in this. Kind of like how the Halo books treat them, if you've ever read them. Also, technically the Kinetic Barrier shield that milky way soldiers use shouldn't be able to stop the Kett and Angaran's energy/plasma-based weaponry. That is all.**

Chapter 4

The clicking became more pronounced as we reached the mouth of the cave, and shouting echoed from inside. Both human and alien shouting. Liam and I nodded and moved in, rifles raised. As we turned the corner, we saw Greer backing towards a dead end, with two aliens advancing slowly, rifles aimed at his chest.

"I'm not hostile! And I can't understand you! I'm not from here!" Greer kept shouting, answered only by unintelligible responses from the creatures. Liam aimed at the left alien, and I aimed at the right. I keyed my COMMs to a private channel with Liam. _How did I know how to do that?_

"On my mark. 3. 2. 1... Mark." Both our projectiles found their marks, both aliens collapsing into a brand-new pool of blood. Greer exhaled and moved towards us. "Liam? Ryder? I thought we were the... never mind. Its damn good to see you. Run into Kirkland or Fischer yet?" I nodded and had Liam fill him in on the details.

"damn monsters. This rock is turning out to be everything but home." Greer growled, fists clenching before he picked up one of the alien rifles. "I saw some flares launch over the ridge a bit north of here. Might be the other shuttle. I'll go keep Fischer company. Find us a ride outta here, alright?" He looked at me with a smile, but it was fairly obvious that it was just a front. "will do man. Keep in touch okay?"

He nodded and headed off to Fischer's location, Leaving Liam and I with the alien corpses. "head to the flares?" I asked, pointing towards the ridged Greer pointed out. Liam moved as if to speak before the radio cut him off, getting rid of the static.

"-ora! We go-… - working! Let me fi-… - There we go. Cora, Radio's hot!" There was a burst of static as Cora connected. "This is Cora of the Pathfinder team. We are repairing our shuttle but hostiles are inbound, does anyone copy?" We both reached for our mics before SAM beat us to it.

"Cora. It is good to hear you. It appears Scott Ryder and Liam Kosta are on the way to assist. Approximately 5 minutes out." SAM was right, we had both started moving as fast as we could the moment the shuttle's IFF had shown up on scanners.

The narrow path we followed opened up into a large clearing. Cora and her half of the team had unloaded the shuttle and turned the cargo into a hasty defensible position. One more hit from the jump jet landed us square in the center of it. Cora smiled through her mask and jogged up to me, extending a hand. "Glad to see you two made it. Guns and ammo are next to the shuttle. Load up and get ready." Her point was made by a large green ship making its way into the clearing, dropping foot soldiers all along the way.

I sprinted towards the boxes and grabbed the m8 Avenger sitting on top along with a handful of heat sinks, turning and boosting forward to the makeshift barricade. A hail of energy rounds began impacting the walls as we returned fire. "total hostiles! Sound off!" Cora yelled into the mic.

"I got four in front of me." Liam responded.

The pilot keyed in next. " three more to the right." I peeked over to confirm and saw one more figure drop onto the battlefield as the dropship flew off. it looked like the others, but larger with red accents on his armor. It carried a large gun that seemed to be charging up energy and aiming at...me. _Fuck._ I ducked down as a barrage of fire tore at my position like a feral animal. "I got one big one in the back with a big gun to boot!" I relayed over COMMs.

I looked over at the rest of the team returning fire. Cora and Liam were both on the right side, spraying over the wall to try to get a break in the fire. Dr. Carlyle and the shuttle's pilot, Hayes, were in the center, both huddled behind a large boulder. I was by myself on the left side. I was about to focus back on the situation at hand when I saw a shimmer move towards Cora.

"Watch out!" I yelled, boosting towards her, arm outstretched, knowing I wouldn't make it in time. Suddenly my Omni-tool flared to life, launching a small ball of fire towards the shimmer. The flames hit the creature right as it de-cloaked and lunged, catching it square in the side. It squealed as it was knocked back, quickly being engulfed in flames.

 _How the fuck did I do that?_ Cora gave me a thumbs-up before returning to the fight, and I boosted back to my position, peeking around a corner and catching an alien unaware in the side of the head. Another hail of energy projectiles brought me back into cover, sweating and swearing under my breath. "I'm pinned down by the big one! Need an assist here!" I shouted to nobody in particular.

Liam answered my call by standing up and launching a concussive round from his Charger. It hit its target, taking a large chunk of its abdomen with it. I popped from cover and drained a burst of gunfire into the wound, taking it down once and for all. The smaller aliens looked around a second, clearly shocked by the death. "They're distracted, open fire!" Cora shouted, and everyone popped up and began engaging targets. The aliens tried to regroup and push back, but the relentless gunfire from our position shredded them, leaving the ground steaming with gore and green blood.

"Everyone okay? Sound off!" Cora barked as we grouped up after the battle. We all responded in time, until Dr. Carlyle shouted. "get over here, we got wounded!" I turned to see the pilot Hayes who was fighting next to the pilot clutching at her stomach, blood seeping through the hole in her suit. We all rushed over as Dr. Carlyle administered a canister of medi-gel into the wound. Cora was at their side in an instant. "Can you stabilize her?" Dr. Carlyle nodded, fear in his eyes.

"yeah, but not for long. She needs to get back to the Hyperion soon or she isn't gunna make it." We all jumped for a second at the response. "no way the shuttle is taking off in this storm. But I may have found a way to end it. Cora, Scott, Liam, meet me at these coordinates time now." The pathfinder sent us a new marker on our HUD, and we all turned to look at the blue beam of energy launching into the sky.

"On our way pathfinder." Cora responded and started to move out. As I reloaded and followed her, the pathfinder opened a private channel with me. "glad to see you made it Scott." The only thing to respond with was "thanks, Dad."

We made great time to the nav point, as it was only about a klik from our position. We ended up on a ledge made of the strange metal cropping up all over the place, overlooking a large compound built around the structure emanating the blue beam. The Pathfinder was crouched on the far side, and we all slowly moved up to him, taking secure positions on the ledge.

Below us, more of the aliens patrolled around a large shield wall, lightning rods making them unafraid of the storm. The pathfinder turned to us, bringing his omni-tool online.

"Alright team, SAM's confirmed what we've all been thinking. That beam is what's causing the massive lightning storm here. Our only option is to find a way to turn it off. Not gunna lie to you, it'll be a rough fight the whole way, but I believe in all of you." Liam nodded and piped up.

"how are we getting passed that shield there? Can't make it in if we don't have a door." The pathfinder nodded and keyed his omni-tool once again, setting off a series of explosives he placed on the lightning rods in the area. The blasts launched the rods skyward, tumbling and bending as the hit the rocks below. The patrolling aliens stopped and watched as the lightning started upon the shield barrier, it being the next highest structure in the area.

The pylons of the shield immediately burst into flames and sparks as the lighting overload the systems, causing the barrier to fade away. "now!" Shouted the pathfinder and he leapt off the ledge and into cover, firing at the surprisingly few guards on the outside of the complex. The outer guards were quickly dropped by a combination of gunfire and the lightning that had begun striking the compound, causing fires and warping metal.

"move now!" The pathfinder yelled as we aggressively assaulted the base, using the surprise of the attack to our advantage. Soon we neared a long walkway connecting the compound with the strange alien monolith. Only two aliens stood guard on the other side, firing at us as we charged. Liam ended them with another concussive shot between the two, sending one flying over the railing and into the abyss below.

I took up the rear as the others crossed the platform and took my chance to move as they set up on the other side. I was about halfway there when the walkway was hit by a multitude of lightning strikes, warping the metal and tearing the path apart. I tried a desperate leap towards the gate before the walkway fell apart, plummeting into the abyss with me close behind it.

Suddenly my view turned... _purple?_ I looked up to see Cora's body glowing with the light and radiation of element zero, projecting a bubble around my form and slowly pulling me. She dissipated the bubble and dropped me onto the floor around them.

"thanks for the save Cora. Didn't know you were biotic." She gave me a half-smile as the purple glow crept back under her skin again. "don't worry, it's not contagious." She gave me a hand up and turned to the pathfinder who was busy hacking the door.

"… aaaannnndddd there. Get ready people." The gate opened to the shocked faces of aliens on the other side, who were quickly dropped under a hail of gunfire. We moved along the strange monolith, until we reached the entry. The last aliens had set up a small defensive position on the edge overlooking the abyss, leaving only small holes to fire out of. Cora glowed purple once more and shoved the whole barricade off the edge. "I really didn't want to deal with them."

We cleared the rest of the platform and set up defensive positions as the pathfinder ran over to what looked like a console on the center. "SAM, can you decrypt this?" Alec asked the AI. Its synthetic voice responded over the whole squad chat. "I've been decrypting since it came within range of the scanners. I have enough to perform basic tasks on this machine."

The pathfinder nodded and held his hand out over the strange hexagonal keys. They moved in a wave, and the massive door to the monolith began moving. "incredible." The gruff voice of the pathfinder sounded, followed by a low cuss as the door jammed. "Hey Scott, help me with this will you?" I ran over and began helping him open the door manually. Once we opened enough of a space to walk through, he smiled and turned toward the interior.

"Now let's go have a chat with whatever's in here." I followed close behind, my spine once again tingling in fear. "alright, just be careful."

"worried about your old man?" The pathfinder laughed "don't worry, I won't tell anyone." A large blue light shined ahead of us, revealing itself to be a large holographic panel and the base of the large beam in the sky. "alright SAM, let's see what we have." The pathfinder stepped forward once more, and SAM began decryption and translation. "one moment... indexing... translation complete pathfinder."

"alright, let's see what we have here." Alec Ryder held out his hand to the hologram, and an orange sphere flickered to life around his hand, sending out tendrils that interacted with the device. The blue hologram flashed a bright blue and outlined itself, before a wave of power surged up the entire inside of the monolith, firing an energy projectile into the sky.

The orange tendrils retracted and he turned to face me, then pointed outside. Rays of sunlight shown through the door, signaling the breaking of the storm. We both jogged outside and stood in awe at the sun showing through the clouds, taking in the view.

"you did it, pathfinder." I said in a low tone as he put his arm on my shoulder. "There's hope at least." I looked at him and smiled. "isn't that all anyone ever asks for?" He smiled at me.

"well we can't give hope if we spend all day staring at sunrises. Let's get back to the shuttle and-"

We heard a noise behind us and turned to see a blue cloud racing towards us. Before we could move it hit, throwing us onto the floor and dragging us off the platform. I grabbed onto the ledge, holding on for dear life before one of the alien corpses hit me in the helmet. Next thing I knew I was airborne, and after that my back impacted with the ground, knocking the wind out of me.

I tried to gulp in air to recover, and suddenly my lungs were on fire. I opened my eyes to the shattered remains of my visor. My face burned from the air, and I kept trying to breath, my brain beginning to panic as my vision began to cloud. As I struggled to stay awake I saw a figure approach me through the encroaching darkness. It was the pathfinder, my dad. I began hyperventilating as he knelt down next to me. I could hear him saying something on the radio and then looking back at me, shaking his head. The black tunnels in my vision got darker and darker as I saw him take off my helmet, then reach behind and take off his, sealing it onto my suit.

Oxygen exploded into my mask, and I I looked up once more at the man who saved my life and sacrificed his. The pathfinder. My dad. He smiled at me and grabbed one of my hands and I heard him speak once more before I blacked out. "initiate transfer, SAM."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, Thatguy here, I'm letting ya'll know that I'm gunna try and push out a chapter a week, but it might not always happen.**

Chapter 5

Consciousness slowly returned to me as my vision faded back into blue. A dull blue light behind me the only illumination in the dark room. The familiar voice of SAM brought me fully back to awareness, the blue light behind me flickering as it spoke.

"welcome back Scott."

Something was off though. Like I could hear SAM inside my head, not in my COMMs. "hey SAM, what happened?" I asked, leaning up off the medical bed I was laying on. The synthetic voice once again resounded in my head. "you were clinically dead for twenty-two seconds." I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to respond when Liam stood up from where he was sitting in the shadows. "hey, you're still with us!"

Liam walked over to me, a big smile on his face and keyed his omni-tool. "guys! Get to SAM node, Ryder's awake." He put a hand on my shoulder and I stretched my arms, looking back.

"Scott, who were you talking to?" I raised an eyebrow at him, again ready to answer then the door at the edge of the room opened. Dr. Lexi T'perro and Cora ran forward, Lexi immediately performing a checkup. "good to see you're awake. Look here, and here." She waved her omni-tool in front of my face, making me follow it with my eyes and head. When I looked left I noticed the black pathfinder helmet on the table next to me.

"fuck... did he make it?" Cora shook her head sadly. "it was your life or his, and he chose you, Scott." Tears welled up in my eyes for a second as more memories assaulted my frontal lobe, clearer than before. "I barely even knew him." I muttered under my breath as I struggled to keep my composure.

Cora took another step forward. "he once said that when he dies, he wants to go out under stars nobody had ever seen before." I gave her a weak smile. "well I guess he got his wish." I rubbed my eyes and tried to change the subject. "so, where am I?"

Lexi stepped forward, turning off her omni-tool. "we're in SAM node. SAM is now a part of you, Scott. In a way we don't fully understand. It played havoc on your brain." I looked around the room quickly, seeing the blue light was the holographic sphere that represented SAM. I made eye contact with it and it spoke over the intercom in the room. "Alec had Authorized the transfer of Pathfinder Authority to you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cora's features slump for a second before hardening to her usual military self again. "wait, wasn't that supposed to be Cora?" Cora responded with a nod. "in theory. Yes. But in reality... you're the new pathfinder, Scott." I raised an eyebrow, noticing her reservation in saying that. "Cora, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have had it play out this way." She nodded and Lexi spoke up as she walked over to one of the terminals in the room. "it's all academic anyways. SAM is connected to your mind on a deeper level now. Unravelling that could kill you." _Great._

"well I guess this is a thing now." Cora nodded once more and decided this was a good time to give me a sit-rep. "Well Scott, this is the hand we've been dealt. I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to think about the people counting on us. The next step."

I took a second to think, remembering the dark clouds entangling the ship. "right. So, is the Hyperion still stuck?"

Liam jumped in. "that's the weird part. Whatever the pathfinder did on the surface, it cleared all that energy up. on our way to the rally point now, and we'll be at the nexus in a couple of hours." I nodded trying to get up as Lexi rushed forward to get me back in bed. "no, he needs to rest now." I waved her off, getting up on shaky legs. "It's fine doc. They'll need me for this. Just let me stretch out and I'll be fine."

Lexi nodded and the group started to leave SAM node. Liam turned around and walked back up for a second. "hey Scott. I checked on your sister while you were out. No change. But if you can pull through, she can too. Don't sweat it." I nodded once more and watching him leave the room.

As soon as I heard the door slide shut I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. SAM interrupted my moment of silence. "Your Father will be missed." Again, the synthetic voice was in my head, not over the intercom.

"Thanks SAM... but what's going on?"

The dull blue light pulsed as it spoke. "this is our private channel. I used to share it with him." I pulled at the fuzzy memories of the pathfinder but couldn't remember anything about that. "weird, don't remember him mentioning anything about it."

The blue light behind me pulsed again. "it allowed me to know him better. Alec wouldn't want us to lose sight of the goal. He once said pain emboldens our resolve. He'd insist we grow stronger from his passing." I nodded, and stood up slowly, leaving SAM node and exploring the ship for the next couple hours.

The door opened and Cora, Liam and I walked onto the Bridge of the Hyperion. Captain Dunn smiled at me as we walked up to her. "good to see you on your feet Ryder. We're coming up on the nexus now." I turned and looked out the observation port to see what almost looked like a prototype for the citadel. Two wide semi-circular blades connected at the center by a large ring with a docking bay for the arks in the middle. "hopefully the Salarian, Turian and Asari arks are there as well." The captain said, the sound of hope in her voice. I turned and gave her a smile. " well we'll have one hell of a story to tell them."

One of the crew below us reported to the captain. "ma'am. We're beginning our approach but I'm only getting their automated response, not a live person." Captain Dunn swore under her breath. "doesn't matter. We're here, take us in." Our docking protocol began and I turned to Cora and Liam. "hey, when we board the nexus, I want us armed. Side arms at least. Head down to the armory and I'll meet you by the airlock." They both nodded and headed to the Tram.

"construction should've been finished by now." Captain Dunn mumbled. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "don't worry, I'll go find out what's going on." She nodded and turned back to the observation port. A small shudder rolled down the ship as maglocks were engaged. Dunn turned to me. "well, I got us here. Head on down to see what the hell is going on. Good luck, Pathfinder." I gave a mock salute and headed for the tram, meeting up with my team as we loaded up.

I sat on the tram and gave my predator a once over before stowing it on my hip. The lack of sleep was catching up to me. Being dead for 22 seconds didn't help much surprisingly. I stood up and walked to the door as the tram slowed to a stop, nodding at Cora as I walked through the doors. In front of us was nothing but blackness. The only light was coming from the silhouette of the Avina VI standing a few feet away. "looks like everything's still on standby." Cora said, walking over to the VI.

I followed her lead and activated the VI, her silhouette brightening as she came to life. "Welcome to the nexus, gateway to andromeda. I'm Avina, a VI designed to assist you with immigration." I raised an eyebrow at the irony of the chipper attitude surrounded by the inky blackness. Liam butted in. "yeah, can you tell us where the welcoming party is hiding?" Avina flickered for a second, processing the inquiry. "I'm sorry, my code is limited to information and simple interaction simulations. Please select from one of my pre-programmed inquiries." A small blue screen came to life in front of her, listing a couple dozen basic questions about immigration and housing. Nothing that could help with our current situation. "that's all Avina, log off." I said, turning to my team. "she's not going to be much help. Let's scope this place out and see if we can fi-" the sound of a blowtorch interrupted my orders, and I instinctively grabbed my sidearm. Cora, put a hand on my forearm before I could draw, and I relaxed. "let's check it out" I whispered.

A dull orange glow flickered from behind a large stack of boxes, and we moved slowly, peeking around the corner. A man was bent over an open panel, welding a replacement part into place. I walked up behind him, calling to get his attention. "hey, we're from Ark Hyperion. Where'd everyone go?" The man stood up, mouth agape, backing away slowly. "d-did you say an ark?" I raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed. "I did, is that a problem or something?"

He shook his head, his face taking a friendlier tone. "no, it's just that... we thought you were all dead." I crossed my arms and Cora blinked in surprise as if not hearing him right. "what?" The man looked down at his hand, extending fingers as if counting. "or...y'know, captured, lost in dark space, stranded... you get the picture. But you're here now. You have no idea what this means!" Heavy footsteps caught my attention and I turned to see a male Turian walking towards us, the lights in his armor illuminating his distinctly avian features and the blue colony markings on his face.

His strangely synthetic voice echoed through the empty space. "I don't believe it." I gave the dumbfounded technician a smile and walked over to the large alien, extending a hand in greeting. He took it in his large three fingered hand and gave it a good shake. "I'm Tiran Kandros, leader of our militia here on the nexus." I finished the handshake and stepped back, introducing my team. "this is Cora harper and Liam Kosta of the pathfinder team. I'm Ja-err Scott Ryder." _Goddammit, your name isn't James here, its Scott._

Kandros raised a brow plate for a second before continuing. "sorry for the confusion. Our sensors told us there was an Ark arriving, but the Heleus Cluster is known for scrambling equipment. We thought you were just another malfunction."

"I got a ship parked in the docking bay that says otherwise." I chuckled. Kandros's mandibles flared in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's just you're the first ark we've seen. After a year of no signs we shuttered the area and stopped looking. "

Liam butted in again. "you've been stranded for a whole year?"

"longer" Kandros replied. "I'll fill you in on the way to the OPs Center." With that he turned and headed for the Tram station, motioning for us to follow him.

I sat down on the tram as Kandros typed our destination into the computer. A small headache had begun pounding in the back of my skull, but now wasn't really the time to complain. Kandros sat down opposite me as the tram started moving. "everything that could've gone wrong has. Fourteen months ago, we hit one of those clouds of dark energy that knocked us off course. We call it the scourge. Lost whole sections of the station, Lot of people died. No power or food for months. Lots of chaos. All ending with a mutiny, more people died. We banished those responsible after the fights. Exiles we call them now."

I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to speak. Cora broke the silence. "are things back to normal?" Kandros turned to face her, shaking his pronged head. "not even close, but now that you're here maybe the worst is over." I nodded and stood up as the tram opened, Kandros leading us out. Liam tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. "I'm gunna go check out the security situation. I'll catch up with you later." I waved him off as he ran towards the militia headquarters. Kandros lead us up a series of stairs and ramps to Operational Headquarters. There was a bustle going on.

"systems are green across the board. Preparing to filter power from the Hyperion to the Nexus Grid." A woman told a Large Krogan in a science uniform. Everyone stopped and turned when they saw us approach. A Salarian broke the silence stepping forward. "the crew of the Hyperion..." As he approached, Kandros patted me on the back before walking away. "good luck" he mumbled under his breath.

The salarian got closer and stopped a couple steps from me, followed by a human woman. "I am Juran Tann, director of the initiative. You have no idea how much your arrival means to us." I studied him for a second before responding. "well it was a hell of a trip. Glad to see some friendly faces, Tann." The woman stepped forward. "hungry faces, any supplies you can spare would be a huge boost to moral."'

The salarian shook his head slightly and continued. "this is Foster Addison, she oversees colonial affairs." He stopped, looking around behind us for a second. "where's the pathfinder?"

I took a deep breath. "you're looking at him. Alec died during an accident on Habitat seven. I'm Scott Ryder, his son." Addison took a step back, eyes wide. "Alec is dead? You have to understand. The entire initiative is at risk. All the golden worlds were a bust. And the other Arks are all MIA."

"what happened to the other arks?" Cora asked, her arms behind her back.

"unknown. Our supplies are nearly depleted. Rationing bought us some time but even that's running out." Tann relayed, sadness in his voice. Addison finished his statement. "we need resources. But that takes people, and we can't wake them up until they have somewhere to live. A golden world. Now more than ever we need a pathfinder."

Tann took a long look at me and seemed at least satisfied in what he saw. "that now falls to you Scott Ryder. Are you up to the task?" I nodded, putting my hands on my waist. "Of course I am. That's why I'm here, right?"

"youthful enthusiasm will only get you so far in andromeda." Addison talked down to me. _Thanks for the words of encouragement._ I was about to respond to the negativity when the Krogan beat me to it, stepping forward from the consoles. "that's no way to talk to a guest." _A female krogan? I've never seen one of those before._ "I'm Nakmor Kesh. Superintendent of this station. Hope they haven't scared you off already." I turned to face the large alien. "don't worry, I've had colder welcomes. Scott Ryder. Pleasure to meet you. "

Addison Cut Kesh off before she could respond. "Sorry, but now isn't the time for on-the-job training." _Fuck you too, lady._

"well the new pathfinder seems willing to try. We could use a fresh perspective." Kesh fired back. _At least someone is on my side._ "you've heard my concerns. I'll leave you to it." Addison almost spat before walking off. Tann shook his head and motioned towards a door behind him. "we're all feeling the pressure. Let's have a private talk in my office Ryder. See about getting you a scout ship. Ill work out the details with your associate." He pointed towards Cora, who gave me a nod and followed Tann.

Kesh watched them go before turning back to me. "welcome to the nexus. Sorry for the less than stellar first impression." I gave the krogan a smile. "don't worry. I'm just glad you had my back there."

Kesh chuckled, turning to the large viewport in front of us. "hope is in short supply here. What little we have should be given a chance to bloom. Let me show you something." We both walked over to the viewport and looked out over the dark station. Lights began flickering on down the large fin, turning it from a hunk of metal into a veritable city of light and color. "Youd did this, just by showing up you kept the lights on. Now go see director Tann about making sure they stay on." I nodded and started towards the office.

 **Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter, but I wanted to get the intro to the nexus out of the way. Next chapter will have The first trip to Eos and the starting of the monoliths. Review or PM me with any questions, comments or concerns.**


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